Food display package



$ept. 30, 196

Filed Dec. 11. 1967 J. v. cum: 3,469,682

FOOD DISPLAY PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. 3

JACK v cums INVENTOR. 6

n 30, 1969 J. v. cuNE 3,469,682

FOOD DISPLAY PACKAGE Filed Dec. 11. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \AL i h V \II' A IO N N w JACK V CLINE INVENTOR. W4 142E 4 Mn ummny FIG.6

United States Patent 0 US. Cl. 20656 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A food package is provided with features allowing for easy stacking and hanging under display conditions and providing additional surfaces for advertising indicia. The construction of the display package comprises a generally cylindrical semi-rigid plastic container having a snap-on cover, a thin sealing film beneath the cover and an adjustable bottom plate for aiding in the removal of food product from the package. The container has spaced peripheral ribs or beads adjacent to the upper end thereof. A jacket of sheet material, such as cardboard, sheet plastic, or the like, is snapped on to the container and held between the aforementioned peripheral beads or ribs. The jacket is of truncated pyramidal shape or frusto-conical shape and provides a peripheral space for advertising indicia and other identifying data. The snap-on jacket also includes a tab with a hole for hanging the display vertically on a hook with the tab located over the center of gravity of the container when filled. The package is provided with a recessed bottom adapted to fit over the cover of an adjacent package for improved stacking.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a new and improved food display package. Although the package is capable of containing any desired product, it is especially useful for packaging pre-sliced meat products, such as bologna, sausages, sliced boiled ham, and the like. While the invention is applicable to a wide variety of products, it is described hereinafter specifically in relation to the packaging of presliced meat products and the like.

In modern packaging practices, it is common to package food products such as sliced meats in transparent containers made of flexible packaging films. When sliced meats are packaged for sale in small individual packages of flexible packaging films, it is important from the standpoint of display and salability that the package be designed for display in a substantially horizontal plane so as to provide an attractive, orderly display, permitting ready inspection of the package contents and also making it possible for a prospective purchaser to read the descriptive matter imprinted or secured thereon. The containers which have been previously made of highly flexible packaging films have been generally prepared by a process of evacuation or gas flushing followed by heat sealing. Containers of this type have been distorted by the packaging technique with the result that the identifying or advertising material printed on the package is often somewhat distorted.

Recently, packages of semi-rigid plastic film materials have been developed and used extensively in the packaging of pre-sliced meat products. A number of such packages are in commercial use and well known in the prior art. Packages prepared of semi-rigid plastic films require special techniques to manufacture and have generally not 3,469,682 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 "ice been designed with emphasis upon the characteristics required for ease of horizontal stacking or for hanging in vertical displays.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND FEATURES It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a food package which atfords maximum protection to the contents on displaying the same in an attractive and appealing manner, which will preserve the food against spoilage for a substantial period, which is readily opened to provide access to the contents, and which is easy to produce.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved package of transparent plastic which is constructed for ease in stacking and is provided with means for hanging vertically in merchandising displays.

A feature of this invention is to provide a new and improved display package characterized by a well designed, rigid, one-piece container, a transparent plastic top, a hermetic seal interposed between the container and top, and the container having sufficient strength to withstand the usual handling and shipping operations.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of a display package having a recessed bottom adapted to fit over the top of an adjacent package, thus providing improved stacking characteristics.

Another feature of this invention is to provide an improved display package having a container portion provided with a pair of peripheral beads positioned adjacent to the top of the package and securing in place an apertured display jacket of truncated pyramidal shape or frusto-conical shape providing space for identifying or advertising indicia and including means adapted to support the package in a vertical position in the plane of the center of gravity of the package.

Still another feature of this invention is the provision of a new and improved display package including an adjustable bottom for assisting in removal of the product from the package and a snap-on jacket for identifying indicia.

Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a display package for food products embodying a preferred form of this invention,

FIG. 2 is a view in cross section taken on the line 22 of FIG. 4 showing only the bottom portion of the container and snap-0n jacket,

FIG. 3 is a view in cross section of the bottom portion of the container, similar to the view shown in FIG. 2, but illustrating an alternate construction of the bottom wall,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the display package shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the display package having a frusto-conical snap-on jacket, and

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation illustrating the use of the snap-on 5 jacket for hanging the display package vertically.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A novel food display package comprises a generally cylindrical transparent container of plastic material having a pair of beads or ribs extending peripherally adjacent to the top of the container. A removable display jacket is attached to the container by being secured between said peripheral ribs or beads. The display jacket is of truncated pyramidal shape or frusto-conical shape and provides a surface for advertising or identifying indicia. The snap-on jacket is provided with a tab or other support means for hanging the container vertically. The tab or support means is located on the side of the snap-on jacket in a plane passing through the center of gravity of the package when filled and hung in a vertical position. The package is provided with a thin sealing film and snap-on cover. A preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes an adjustable bottom in the container for facilitating removal of meat slices or other food products therefrom. The configuration of the bottom of the container is such that each package may be stacked on and fit over the cover of an adjacent container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawing by numerals of reference, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6, there is shown a food package generally designated comprising a container portion which is generally cylindrical in shape. Container 11 is provided with a box-like structure 12, preferably of tuncated pyramidal shape or frusto-conical shape, which is secured on the container. Box-like member or jacket 12 generally encloses the cylidrical container 11 and provides an exterior surface for receiving an advertising message or other identifying indicia. One or more laterally projecting tabs 14 is provided on jacket member 12 having a hole or aperture 16 formed therein for hanging the display package. Tabs 14 may be separate and secured to jacket 12 by any suitable means, such as cementing or stapling, or may be tabs formed integrally of the material of the jacket. Jacket 12 is of sheet material, preferably cardboard or the like, although sheet plastic material could be used.

Container 11 is formed with a pair of peripherally extending ribs or beads 18 and 20 extending around the outer surface adjacent to the open upper end of the container. Jacket 12 is provided with a central aperture 13 which is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of beads or ribs 18 and 20. Jacket 12 is, therefore, snapped onto the container and fits into the groove between beads 18 and 20.

The open end of container 11 is closed by a snap-on lid or cover 22. The container is provided with a hermetic seal in the form of a plastic sealing film 24 which is hermetically sealed around the opening. The sealing film 24 is preferably a material having a low gas transmission such as Mylar polyester films, saran film, Pliofilm, or a plastic coated aluminum foil. The film which is used is not an essential feature of the invention but is preferably a material which may be heat sealed or adhesively sealed to close the package hermetically.

Snap-on cover 22 is provided with a rib 30 which encloses a clear viewing portion permitting one to view the required identifying data imprinted on the sealing film 24. Rib 30 on snap-on cover 22 also functions to provide improved stacking characteristics of the package as will be subsequently described.

The bottom of container 11 may be a single fixed bottom 26, as shown in FIG. 2, or may be a movable bottom wall member 28, as shown in FIG. 3. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are identical except for the movable bottom wall member 28 in the embodiment of FIG. 3. The movable bottom wall member 28 may be pushed upward for ease of removal of the slices of meat or other food products packaged in container 11. Bottom wall member 26, or movable wall member 28, each have an inwardly dished portion 29 providing a cup-shaped recess in the bottom of the package. The recess formed by dished or cup-shaped portion 29 in the bottom of the package is .4 of a size and shape which may be fitted over rib 30 on each successive cover. When the packages are stacked in this manner for merchandising, the display jacket 12 may be removed from the containers or may be left in place for display purposes.

The display jacket 12 which is held in position by peripheral beads 18 and 20 on container 11 may contain advertising indicia or identifying legends of suitable type. Display jacket 12 is secured on container 11 for purposes of hanging the package on a supporting hook 33 by means of aperture 16. Tab 14 is located in the plane of the cen ter of gravity of the filled container when supported in a vertical position. As a result, the package will hang vertically below the point of support, viz., aperture 18 in tab 14. If tab 14 were positioned to either side of the center of gravity of the package, the package would tend to hang at an angle which would make the display and hanging of the package more diflicult.

The manufacture of this package may be carried out by conventional plastic molding techniques. Container 11 and snap-on cover 22 may be formed of any suitable plastic, either thermoplastic or thermosetting, which has the characteristics desired for food packaging. The container and cover may be formed by thermoforming of plastic sheet or by any conventional molding process, such as compression molding, transfer molding, injection molding, etc. It is also possible to form the container portion by extrusion and cementing a bottom into position. The preferred technique for preparation of the container would be by thermoforming of sheet material, although any of the several plastic molding techniques known in the art may be employed. The plastic material used in the container and cover is not critical and may be any suitable material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate-butyrate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, etc. The snap-on jacket 12 which performs the dual function of providing a surface for advertising and identifying indicia and providing a means for supporting the package vertically, may be of any suitable shape and of any suitable material. Jacket 12 is of a box-shape and may be in the form of a truncated pyramid as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 or may be frust-o-conical in shape, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Jacket 12 may be of any suitable sheet material, such as cardboard, paperboard, vulcanized fiber, sheet plastic of various types, etc. Jacket 12 is preferably printed or decorated with suitable indicia or legends prior to assembly.

While this invention has been fully and completely described, with reference to certain preferred embodiments, as required by the patent laws, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

I claim:

1. A package for food products comprising a cylindrical container having a closed bottom and open top, a snap-on cover closing said top, said container and cover being formed of thermoformed or molded plastic, said container having a pair of closely spaced beads extending peripherally on the outer surface thereof adjacent to said top, a box-shaped jacket fitted around said container and having a central opening of a size fitting tightly into the groove defined by said peripherally extending beads, said jacket having a tab for hanging the package in a vertical position, said tab being located in a plane extending through the center of gravity of the container when the container is filled and hung vertically, and the outer surface of said jacket being adapted to receive identifying or advertising legends.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said jacket is of truncated pyramidal shape or frusto-conical shape.

3. A package as defined in claim 1 in which the bottom of said container includes a movable Wall member adjustable from outside to move the contents for removal from said container.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED 3,070,224 12/ 1962 Robinson et 211. 3,388,827 6/1968 Thanhauser et a1. 1500.5 X

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner STATES PATENTS Baldanza 150O.5

Archer et a1. ISO-0.5

Pmett 5 -Cl-X-R- M i 215 12 20679; 211-49; 215-12; 22023.83, 97 

